Thursday, January 08, 2004
DATES, DATES -- AND MORE DATES
Do these dates mean anything to you?
January 2 Day after New Year’s Day (New Zeland)
January 26 Australia Day
February 6 Waitangi Day (New Zeland)
March 1 St. David’s Day (United Kingdom)
Labor Day (Australia – WA)
Eight Hours Day (Australia – TAS)
March 8 Labour Day (Australia – VIC)
Canberra Day (Australia – ACT)
Commonwealth Day (Australia, Canada, New Zeland,
United Kingdom
March 21 Mothering Day (United Kingdom)
April 10 Easter Saturday (Australia – except VIC & WA)
April 12 Easter Monday (Australia, Canada, New Zeland,
United Kingdom – Except Scotland)
April 14 Bank Holiday (Australia – TAS)
April 23 St. George Day (United Kingdom)
April 26 Anzac Day (Australia, New Zeland)
May 3 Labour Day (Australia – QLD)
Bank Holiday (Eire, United Kingdom)
May 24 Victoria Day (Canada)
May 31 Bank Holiday (United Kingdom)
June 7 Queen’s Birthday (New Zeland
Foundation Day (Australia – WA)
July 1 Canada Day
July 12 Battle of the Boyne Day (Northern Ireland)
August 2 Bank Holiday (Eire, Scotland, Australia – NSW, ACT)
Picnic Day (Australia – NT)
August 30 Bank Holiday (United Kingdom – except Scotland)
Sept. 5 Father’s Day (Australia, New Zeland)
Sept. 27 Queen’s Birthday (Australia – WA)
Oct. 4 Labor Day (Australia – ACT, NSW, SA)
Oct. 11 Thanksgiving Day (Canada)
Oct. 25 Labour Day (New Zeland)
Bank Holiday (Eire)
Nov. 11 Remembrance Day (Canada)
Nov. 30 St. Andrew’s Day (United Kingdom)
Dec. 26 Boxing Day (Canada, New Zeland, United Kingdom,
Australia – except SA)
Proclamation Day (Australia – SA)
NOW—DO THESE DATES MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?
January 1 New Years Day
January 19 Martin Luther King’s birthday observed
(Actual birthday, January 15th)
February 2 Ground Hog Day
February 12 Abraham Lincoln’s birthday
February 14 St. Valentine’s Day
February 16 President’s Day
February 22 George Washington’s birthday
March 17 St. Patrick’s Day
April 9 Good Friday
April 11 Easter Sunday
April 22 Earth Day
May 9 Mother’s Day (USA, Australia, Canada, New Zeland)
May 15 Armed Forces Day
May 31 Memorial Day
June 14 Flag Day
June 20 Father’s Day
July 4 Independence Day
Sept. 6 Labor Day
Oct. 31 Halloween
Nov. 11 Veteran’s Day
Nov. 25 Thanksgiving Day
Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Day
Dec. 25 Christmas Day
What is the difference between these 2 sets of dates? In the first set, they have no meaning to those of us living in the United States because we are not citizens of any of those countries.
The second set of dates all are relevant at least to the United States, the country in which we hold citizenship. Therefore these dates hold meaning for us—or at least they could have meaning.
It seems to me it is that way in the Kingdom of God also. There are things that have meaning only for those who are citizens in His Kingdom, only for the Christian.
An example would be the Lord’s Supper; the Eucharist, Communion, whatever you are use to calling it. The Lord’s Supper on the Lord’s Day, the First Day of the Week, holds meaning only for those who are citizens of His Kingdom.
For others, there is no real significance to this memorial feast. Just as there is no real significance to the fourth of July to the citizen of Britain or Canada, or any other country.
The Lord’s Supper reminds us of our deliverance from the bondage of sin and our freedom in Christ. It is interesting to notice that all these other events have specific dates but have significance only to the people living in those countries. The Lord’s Supper has no date—we don’t know exactly when it was established, only that we should observe it the first day of the week. Yet it has meaning for all people everywhere if they are citizens of Christ’s Kingdom.
Beyond this, I see additional significance to the observation I just made. We had a big discussion about this during our Sunday School class at my little church a few weeks ago, the second Sunday Joel preached.
Joel and I found ourselves trying to articulate a different viewpoint from most in the class. Their point was we should do everything possible to get society to be a Christian society. There were the usual ideas expressed: elect Christian officials to government positions, picket against those things wrong (such as abortion clinics, adult bookstores and theaters), do something about the legalization of homosexual marriages, etc. There was a lot of fear expressed about what has taken place recently in Canada, and the effect it could have on the United States. (You get the idea.)
Joel and I were trying to say the Christian has no right to expect society to behave in a Christian manner. I guess it is nice if they do. But we have no right to expect it. Both Joel and I tried to point out that nowhere did Jesus mandate or even suggest such actions to make the Roman society Christian. In fact it might be argued that He suggested just the opposite. He said, “Give to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar; and to God that which belongs to God.” The New Testament teaches us to pay taxes and obey the civil government. In the book of Acts the Apostles and early Christians said it is better to obey God rather than man. But they were willing to take what was meted out to them if they chose not to conform to society.
Joel and I were in no way trying to say the Christian conforms to society! But I think our position is valid. The Christian has no right to expect or even demand that society follow Christian standards of behavior. Jesus taught that we are in the world but not of the world. I believe Christianity is always counter-culture. The sad thing is that according to research by the George Barna group, there appears to be little or no difference between the behavior and standards of the Christian and the unsaved person in the world. To me, that is the really sad fact -- not that society does not act like Christians.
I’m afraid Joel and I weren’t successful in persuading the class to our point of view. But that is one of the many wonderful things about my church. There is such love and acceptance for one another and such a yearning to know the Word and to know how to apply it that these kinds of discussions are the norm rather than the exception. And everyone enjoys and benefits from these discussions. In most churches I have known, these kinds of discussions would divide brothers and eventually divide the whole church. Not so at Countryside.
It is such a refreshing and stimulating experience to study the Word with the good people to Countryside. Thank God for them. Thank God I get to be a part of that fellowship. So my prayer today is, “Thank you, Lord, for Countryside Christian Fellowship.”
Jim
posted by jim 3:57 PM 0 comments
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